The Walt Disney Company History
The Walt Disney Company has an impressive history in the entertainment industry, stretching over 90 years. It started on October 16, 1923 as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, a joint venture of Walt Disney and his brother, Roy. Three years later the company had produced two movies and purchased a studio in Hollywood, California. Pitfalls in distribution rights nearly sank Walt and his company, but the creation of Mickey Mouse saved the company.
By 1932, the Disney Company won its first Academy Award.1934 marked the production of Disney's first full-length feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which released in 1937 and became the highest grossing film of its time. But afterwards, the expenses of production caused difficulties with the next few animated films; then the advent of World War II halted the production of films.
After the war it was difficult for the company to pick up where it had left off, but 1950 proved a turning point with the production of its first live-action film, Treasure Island and another animated film, Cinderella. In that time period, Disney also began several television series; in 1955, The Mickey Mouse Club also made its debut.
1955 also provided another landmark moment: the opening of the first Disney theme park, Disneyland. Disney continued its rise in popularity, and survived even the death of its founder in 1966. His brother and co-founder Roy took over supervision at that time, until his death in 1971 and then was succeeded by an executive team. Several more projects, from merchandising to the continuing production of animated and live-action films to the construction of more theme parks filled the years; in 1983, Disney went international with the opening of Tokyo Disneyland.
In the past few decades, Disney has moved into a wider market, beginning The Disney Channel on cable and establishing subdivisions such as Touchstone Pictures to produce films other than the usual family-oriented fare, gaining a firmer footing on a broader range. In the 1970s and 1980s, the company suffered from takeover attempts, but eventually recovered. Disney is now one of the largest media conglomerates in the world with ownership to various resorts, theme parks, radio stations, cable television networks, and even their own cruise line. To this day The Walt Disney Company continues to do exciting new films and television series.